Down, down, down into the rabbit hole
by Mattimo
Summary: 6 years after Alice crawled back out of the rabbit hole, she finally admit to herself how much she misses it. How much she miss Wonderland, the White Queen, Mallymkun, The March Hare, Chess, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, McTwisp and him. Especially him. Why did she leave him behind? Will she be able to fix it? Do what she should have all those 6 years ago?


** Chapter 1**

25 years of age and not married. That was her status. To the society anyway. The worst part was that she was working, providing money for herself. Alice Kingsleigh was not like every other young woman in London. She was so much more, or so much less. It was all depending on your point of view.

After Alice had crawled out of the rabbit hole that sunny day, everything had changed. A job in her father's old company was provided for her, which quickly got her out and about in strange courners of the world. It made her happy. It made her forget. At least almost. She would still find herself daydreaming of it, though. It was there, waiting for her, every time she closed her eyes. Especially him. His eyes was burned into the back of hers.  
Only two weeks before had she returned home, the first time in two years. Alice had never ever thought about settling down, and it was killing her to not hearing anything about another voyage. The time was just going by so slowly, and there was so many expectations.

"Why can't you be more like your older sister? Get married and have children?" Her mom began for the hundrenth time.

They were all having tea at her sister, Margaret,'s house. Margaret had always been their mother's favorite, even when they had been children. She had always had her head into her school books and held her place as a proper lady. Alice on the other hand had always had her head in the clouds, always wanting to become like her father one day.  
Margaret had just gotten her first child a year before, and she had named him Christopher. He cried constantly and he already knew how to control his parents. Alice didn't want that. She didn't want to get married to a dull man and have dull, straight up children. To be honest, she had never even fallen for a man either. There was only this one man, but surely he didn't feel the same way? Anyhow, he was not of that world. He was unreachable.

"Alice, are you even listening to me?!" Came the angry voice of her mother.

Alice straightened up, lifting her chin up high like she ad been taught back in Hongkong by the women there.

"I'm not interested in getting married and having children!" She began. "I have far more important things to do."

"Like what?"

"Like seeing the world. Like exploring all the strange courners of the world and all the strange cultures."  
Margaret snorted into her tea.

"Surely you can't be serious!" She said after composing herself.

Alice shot her sister an angry and irritated look. Of course, this only fueled up her mother even more.

"You are no mere child anymore, Alice! This kind o behavior is no longer acceptable! You are 25 years of age."

"I am fully aware of that."

"Then start acting like it!"

Alice had had enough. Quickly she got up from her chair, sending both her mother and Margaret a hard and cold stare. With ease she her gloves back on, getting ready to leave as fast as possible. She was halfway across the room before her sister spoke the terrible sentence.

"And that imaginary place of yours-... Wonderland." She paused. Alice clutched the door handle as hard as she could , afraid that she might break it. "-it's imaginary. It's not real. None of it. Never will be."

With all her might she threw open the door, running out of the house as fast as her feet could carry her. Angry tears was streaming down her face as she ran. Alice didn't even know where she was going, she just ran and ran. Never stopping. Never pausing. The angry March wind was slamming hard against her face, blowing her hair all over.

"Ahh, ugh."

Alice fell flat on her face as her foot got tangled into a tree root. The tears never stopping to pour down. She sat herself up against one of the tree stumps, hugging her feet to her chest. The new dress that her mother had bought her was all messy; broken, full of mud and dirt.  
Far off in the distance could she hear her name being called out. It didn't matter. Her mother probably wouldn't allow her to be free after all those years. This time, she wouldn't let her get away unmarried.

"Alice... Alice... Alice..."

Alice opened her eyes. A soft whisper was lingering in the air, flying, gliding, almost like it was supposed to. The voice was ao very familiar, but she couldn't quite place it. Alice got back on her feet, this time walking slow and carefully. There was nothing that wasn't supposed to be there. Everything was exactly like it should be; proper. Even the nature knew how. Nothing like this ever happened in this world. It was only proper and boring things that happened. Maybe it was all just inside her head? She wanted something like that to happen, and now it did, but only inside her head. For minutes she walked like that. To any outside person, Alice might look like a drunk or a mad woman. Maybe she was?  
For only a blink of a second, Alice spotted something white, like a rabbit's behind. She didn't need anything else. Alice sat off running again, her hopes building more and more. She hadn't even spotted any waistcoat on the white rabbit. All she really knew was that she had to try.  
Deeper and deeper into the woods she ran. The rabbit was always there, somewhere in front of her to guide her. Again and again Alice would turn her head to look back the way she came. One time when she did it Alice discovered that she could no longer see her sister's house. Every now and again she would get a scratch from a bush or a branch, but she didn't even flinch. All her mind was set on running and following that rabbit.  
In a clearing straight ahead she saw the rabbit take a sharo turn to the left. Alice prepeard herself to turn and run that way too, but was met by a huge and thick tree stump. She barely managed to stop before running into it! Her breath came out in quick gasps, Alice clutching her stomach. Where did the rabbit go?  
Alice wanted to cry. That rabbit had been her only hope at ever getting by, and now it was gone. She just stood there, eyes growing lifeless and distant as the time went by. She didn't want to live in that world. Alice needed the impossible world, where every single person was slightly mad. She needed him. To see him again. Hug him thight. This time to never let go.

"Alice...? Alice..."

The whispering voice appeared once again. Alice turned around in circles, looking at her surroundings. The voice sounded clearer now, like it was nearer. She now understood who's voice it was. How could she not? Didn't she promise him to never, ever forget? Wasn't that exactly what he had been afraid of, to be forgotten?  
A spark of light appeared from under the tree stump. Then another. And another. Alice got down on her knees, pushing away both stones, grass and sticks with wide eyes. She basically digged her way under the tree. The sparks would come off once in a while, startling Alice each and every time. Once again, her hopes was building steadily. She felt that she was so close. So very close! Alice was halfway under the tree stump now, the sparks almost in her face. Her hands were aching from the digging and so was her neck. Alice had just decided that she should give up when she found it. She didn't even have time to think before she was falling. Down, down, down into the rabbit hole.


End file.
